“Then God said, ‘Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.’ So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird – each producing offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas and let the birds multiply on the earth.’ And evening passed and morning came, marking the fifth day.” – Genesis 1:20-23 NLT
For those of you who don’t know, this past weekend I had the immense pleasure of going to Sea Camp in the Florida Keys with my Marine Science class. Everyone needs to visit the Keys at some point; they are fantastic!! Sea Camp is located about halfway between Key Largo and Key West on Big Pine Key. Sea Camp caters to thousands of school groups from all over the country and gives those groups opportunities to experience the sheer beauty of some of the world’s best snorkeling spots (at least in my opinion). The Florida Keys have a couple protected (duh) coral reef systems not far from shore that are world famous. While attending the camp this past weekend, I had the opportunity to snorkel in one of the those spots. Now I had never been snorkeling any place special like this before, in fact before the trip, I had never been snorkeling anywhere but my pool. I had no idea what to expect.
On Sunday we had two boat trips planned, one in the morning, one in the afternoon, but the weather was not looking too good. We didn’t think we were going to be able to visit the reef. So for the first boat trip we snorkeled in a sponge bed and a mangrove swamp. Both were fantastic, but still they were no coral reef. Upon returning to the camp we had lunch, and then our wonderful teacher (shout out to Mrs. Hall; the best science teacher ever!) had the idea of having a devotional time before we departed on the second boat trip. She read selected verses from Genesis 1, including the verses at the top. How appropriate they were. We prayed and then disembarked. Well, God is awesome because the weather was just right when we left the harbor that we were able to visit the reef.
I don’t feel like words can do it justice, but I’ll try my best. Upon entering the clear, greenish water, I was immersed in another world. Tiny jelly-looking things floated past me as I got a good look at the underwater scenery. It almost too good and too beautiful to be true. The colors of the fish and the coral were unlike anything I have ever seen on land. Hundreds of fish, some of which I could only dream of seeing, glided through the salty water or found shelter in the cracks and crevices. Big fish, small fish, bright blue fish, red fish, box-shaped fish, eels; all were present and incredible. The only sounds were that of the water and of parrot fishes munching away on the coral. The contrast of the boats and waves above water, and the beautiful structures and colors below was quite amazing. I have never been more at peace in my life.
Aside from being in the most incredible place ever, the reason I was so at peace was because I saw an awesome God in that beautiful piece of art before me. The reef seemed to be singing God’s praises, not to mention all of the fish too. I had Psalm 150 in my mind as I explored this wondrous place. It goes like this:
“Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!”
While there were no lutes and harps, the reef still seemed to sing this psalm. When we were on the boat ride back to camp, tears welled up in my eyes as I reflected on what I had seen. I also reflected on the goodness of God’s wonderful creation. I truly hope and pray that I have the opportunity to return to the reef one day, and I also hope and pray all of you have the opportunity to experience it too.
For a beautiful, sung version of Psalm 150, check out this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90GonV40di8
